19 July 2016

Today's Read: Paradime by Alan Glynn

Paradime by Alan GlynnSay you're down on your luck, your relationship is crumbling, and you're suffering from PTSD thanks to your military service. What woud you do if you met your doppelganger, who just happens to be one of the rich and famous?
There's no app for this.

Though I seem to have one for nearly everything else. I can track my movements over the course of a day, every footstep, every heartbeat. I can monitor my stress levels, boost productivity, enhance cognition.

But relieve anxiety? Eliminate dread? Not a chance.
—Paradime by Alan Glynn (Picador, 2016, p. 3)

Quick Facts
  • Setting: New York City; in the near future (?)
  • Circumstances: Danny Lynch has returned home from Afghanistan, traumatized by what he's seen. While working as a prep cook in a Manhattan restaurant, he notices Teddy Trager, who looks enough like Danny to be his twin. As Danny becomes obsessed with the other man, he begins to take on his mannerisms, eventually fooling people into believing he's Teddy. Can an ordinary guy pass for a world-famous technology genus? 
  • Genre: reviewers have called this novel everything from dark comedy to conspiracy theory, futuristic Gothic, and psychological thriller
  • Characters: Danny Lynch, a veteran with PTSD; Kate, his girlfriend; Teddy Trager, a billionaire techy; and (according to reviews) a handful of real people.
  • Why I might read it: A review in Publishers Weekly mentioned that the novel was a take on The Prince and the Pauper, but I'm under the impression that only one of the men is actually playing the game. From the Kirkus review, I'm expecting a fast-paced story with a few twists. Something about the premise has grabbed my attention, although I'm still on the fence.
at

17 comments:

  1. Mia P. Manansala7/19/16, 6:58 AM

    Hmm, it almost feels like there's shades of The Talented Mr. Ripley. That small bit feels more ominous than humorous.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kathy Reads Fiction7/19/16, 7:04 AM

    Hmmm. I didn't think this book would appeal to me, but it does. There's something exciting about that teaser and the quick facts you listed. I would definitely want to see where this one goes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. (Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea7/19/16, 7:11 AM

    I like the intro and actually have a copy for this one so I plan to try it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Juli Rahel7/19/16, 8:02 AM

    The premise of this one sounds really intriguing! Doppelgangers are always interesting and the contrast between these two couldn't be bigger! I think I'd have to read a little bit more before I know if the writing works for me! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great week!
    My Teasers
    Juli @ Universe in Words

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown7/19/16, 8:23 AM

    I can see this as going all kinds of bad for both of them. Got me curious.

    My TT from A Whole Lotta ARCS

    ReplyDelete
  6. bermudaonion7/19/16, 8:47 AM

    I generally don't gravitate towards books like that but I'm intrigued by the premise of this one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Daryl7/19/16, 9:03 AM

    hummmmmmm ... i am going to wait till after you read it ... :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Enbrethiliel7/19/16, 9:07 AM

    +JMJ+

    The book sounds really interesting to me because I'm studying a foreign language right now, and one of my motivations is to get so good that native speakers will think I'm one of them. That is, so everyone will think I'm someone I'm not. Perhaps I should take a cue from Danny and find someone whose mannerisms and expressions to copy. She wouldn't be an actual doppelganger, but it might speed up the language learning process!

    Here's my Teaser for the week!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Majanka Verstraete7/19/16, 9:12 AM

    Sounds interesting. Not sure I'd pick it up with all the excellent books out there (so many books, so little time) but if I did, I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy it.

    Here's my teaser for the week.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kathy Martin7/19/16, 9:50 AM

    Sounds intriguing. My teaser this week comes from Rock Wedding by Nalini Singh. Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Catherine @ Book Club Librarian7/19/16, 11:40 AM

    I am very intrigued, and am putting this one on my wish list.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Laurel-Rain Snow7/19/16, 11:48 AM

    I love how this one sounds....a doppelganger. Wow! I am also a fan of psychological thrillers. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Margot7/19/16, 12:01 PM

    I like the clever, contemporary start. I'd keep reading.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unknown7/19/16, 1:09 PM

    This sounds interesting. There is almost a reversal duplicate of this one circulating currently about a woman who trades places with her doppelganger (can't remember the title). This one doesn't sound like one for me.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Alice Audrey7/19/16, 2:33 PM

    Isn't that the difference between collecting data and doing?
    Mine is here: http://www.aliceaudrey.com/?p=14165

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unknown7/19/16, 2:34 PM

    This gas potential. I would definitely read on. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Cleopatra Loves Books7/19/16, 4:03 PM

    I'm not normally interested in futuristic books but this one does sound interesting - I liked the opening and a bit of humour never goes amiss.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I read all comments and may respond here, via e-mail, or on your blog. I visit everyone who comments, but not necessarily right away.

I cannot turn off word verification, but if you are logged into Blogger you can ignore the captcha. I have set posts older than 14 days to be on moderation. I can no longer accept anonymous comments. I'm so sorry if this means you have to register or if you have trouble commenting.